The first thing I do when I wake up is tend to self care to prime my day for both wellness and productivity. It’s essential I do this before I can start to think about any projects, deadlines, or to do lists. If I don’t get my mental and emotional baseline in order first, the rest of my day is likely not to be very generative.
Basically, to complete any task skillfully and thoroughly my mind needs to be clear of anxious thoughts. Of course, there are things that come up throughout the day that I can’t plan for, but the ritual of my routine encourages me to continue to return to it no matter what. Perhaps what’s been most useful for me in cultivating a daily routine is creating a home for my self care practice, or rather, spaces throughout my home dedicated to different wellness activities. For instance, I journal at my desk, read on my Lovesac beanbag, and meditate on the floor in my closet.
Curating a home base for self care activities not only keeps me consistent, but also reminds me to start my day with them. Here are the 10 holy grail products I reach for in the morning to balance wellness and productivity throughout the day as a full-time, work-from-home mom.
10 Wellness & Productivity Products I Use Every Day:
- Rise Up Daily Mind Clearing Tincture. With or without the coffee, Ladykind’s Rise Up sublingual tincture is the first thing I pick up when I wake up. It’s magically effective all on its own, but when paired with a cozy cup of coffee, it works literal wonders for my mood, focus, and stress management.
- Airpods. In a previous blog post, I offered perspective I learned on daily affirmations from a book I read by Quincy Jones. Thus, I’ve moved from recounting my own from post-it notes on my mirror to voice memos in my phone. For me, this has helped me actually stick to actually using them. Affirmations are obviously highly personal, which is where noise-cancelling headphones come in clutch.
- Color-coordinated pens. At this point in my day I’m sitting down to journal and plan my to-do lists. For this, I use a set of gel ink pens that match my calendar and Trello board labels.
- Daily devotional. Before I begin writing I like to feed my spiritual soul. Reading a daily devotional helps to point the direction of my wellness and productivity upward for the day. If you’re not spiritual, read your horoscope, or do something else that brings you a sense of security and belonging.
- Five Minute Journal. I gifted this guided journal to myself after gifting it to a friend who mentioned she needed help developing her journal practice. Now it’s how I start and end every day. I love it because it helps me set both my wellness and productivity intentions for the day, then revisit the highlights of my day before I go to bed to bring those intentions back full circle.
- Calendar Planner. A Target find for the win! This annual calendar planner breaks down my monthly, weekly, and daily planning. I take it with me everywhere I go. After I map my day out in this calendar planner, I transfer my immediate to dos into my Trello board to track on them through completion.
- Goal-Setting Planner & Habit Tracker. When you set goals for yourself, using a habit tracker helps immensely to keep you on track with the actionable steps you can take to work towards them. This template comes in both physical and digital versions for whatever your preference is.
- Favorite teapot and/or coffee mug. Now that I’m ready to start my work day, I prime the acoustics of my environment for flow. I break away from my desk for a hot second to make a pot of tea (I like a nice jasmine green or earl grey) to sip on as I work. The most comforting part of this ritual isn’t necessarily the tea, but more so the teapot that sits on my kitchen counter and reminds me to nourish my body with liquid herbs every time I walk by it.
- Scented candle. Sometimes I’ll substitute for incense or palo santo instead if I feel the need to clear the air around me.
- Hourglass Timer. To make sure I make the most out of the time I have, I track how much time I spend on each activity. Using a physical timer helps me dedicate focus time to each task I need to work on so that nothing falls between the cracks. Sometimes I’ll use a productivity cube… but this rose gold hourglass timer is sexier.
If you WFH, what are the first go-to products you reach for in the morning to set your wellness and productivity up for success at the beginning of the day?
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